Calling all Vets (military)

[hordak]

My wife and I are trying to decide whether or not to stay in the service. As we approach the end of this enlistment it becomes more and more important because if she reups again we will be over the half way mark and will stay in for life. If your a Vet I'm sure you delt with the same problems, too many chiefs not enough Indians, deployments, TDY, PCSs etc.

So for those of you who did 1 or 2 hitches and got out do you regret it? Wish you stayed in?

For those of you who went through all the hardships and retired ever wish you would have gotten out and settled down?

The hardest part is that we joined straight out of highschool so the complaints my wife has about the job (not the tdys, or deployments that are unique to the military) might not be a "being in the service problem" but an " adult employment problem."

We don't want to leave behind the "problems of the military" only to find they are actually unique to the career field for example.

If you left after a few years how was it reentering the civilian world? Did it live up to your expectations?

[Palerider]

My brother went in the Army right out of High School and stayed in for 25yrs and retired. To this day he does not regret his descision.:)

[KeithLBrown]

I am a 20 year retired United States Navy veteran. Making the decision to stay in the military and deal with all the problems and headaches that are associated with military life was not necessarily an easy one. I think that it really did not become an easy decision to make until after I had reached the 10 year mark and at that point I felt that if I had ran the course for that long, why not stick it out and finish the race.

I do not regret serving my country for 20 long years. During those years I was blessed to meet some wonderful and interesting people, travel to lands that I probably would have never been able to travel to, and learned so many valuable life lessons that perhaps I could not have learned anywhere else.

I will admit that returning to the civilian world after 20 years of military service was and continues to be quite a shock at times. I am now and have always been a hard charger -- a go getter. If there is something that needs to be done, I believe that you should get it done. I have a low tolerance for excuses as to why something can't be done. I am the type of person that wants to hear how we plan to get it done and get it done in a timely manner. I guess you can take the boy out of the military, but you can't take the military out of the boy. While in the Navy I got used to hearing "Hurry up and wait". That saying seems to take on a whole new meaning in the civilian world. I find that I sometimes get frustrated at work because I don't understand sometimes why I don't have reports, bills, documentation, etc. whenever I want or need it. Having to wait for something or for someone to get around to doing something sometimes frustrates me. I am the type of person that has an imaginary stamp on his desk that says "DONE!". You can imagine that I have been told many times that I am not in the military anymore and that things are done a "little" differently in the outside world. After being retired for 8 years I am getting a little better at coping with the civilian world.

As far as the retirement pay, it is not all that great, but I am thankful to have it as it does pay my rent every month. Without it, I would probably have to work two jobs just to keep everything going.

I am not sure what career field your wife is in, but I would definitely choose one that is comparable to the job market in the civilian world. I hope some of this makes sense and helps.

[YoungMormonRoyalist]

You'll always be a member of God's Army?

[hordak]

Kieth

Does your retirement check increases with the military pay rates (the congress approved) or are you locked into 60% (or what ever it is now)of the 2000 basic pay for your last rank?

Did you have kids and if so how did they like being "military brats"?

My wife has a usable skill and can make about $10,000 more a year if she uses vet preference and gets a job at the VA.(off course then she will still have to deal with all you demanding retirees ) but i have no idea what health insurance will cost.

[KeithLBrown]

My retirement pay does increase with the military pay rates that congress approves and that is also another blessing.

I was never married and therefore I don't have any kids, so the whole experience of having "military brats" is foreign to me, although I knew quite a few. To me, I think it is all in what you make it for yourself as well as your family. If I had kids I would have done everything I could possibly do to have made the whole military experience as enjoyable and memorable as possible. I personally have no regrets in serving 20 years. There were some rough times, but I think all of the good times and memories outweigh any rough times that I amy have had.

Health insurance is another subject. I recently got some mail from the military about a hospitalization plan at John Hopkins Hospital that I plan to look into. Also, now that I am 50, I am a member of that oh so infamous AARP Club and they offer some pretty decent health plans as well.

Keith

Does your retirement check increases with the military pay rates (the congress approved) or are you locked into 60% (or what ever it is now)of the 2000 basic pay for your last rank?

Did you have kids and if so how did they like being "military brats"?

My wife has a usable skill and can make about $10,000 more a year if she uses vet preference and gets a job at the VA.(off course then she will still have to deal with all you demanding retirees ) but i have no idea what health insurance will cost.

[rameumptom]

I am retired USAF after 20 years. I do have military brats of my own. They have both pros and cons to their experience in the military. But you will find that in any private sector lifestyle, as well.

I am glad I spent 20 years in the military, although there were a few times when I thought long and hard about getting out. Occasionally, some of the Air Force mandates made life difficult, and occasionally boxed me out of a few jobs I was extremely qualified for (I had 18 years in and a Masters Degree, but one rank lower than the guy that moved in who had a high school diploma, and so he got the supervisory job I had done for a year). That helped me decide to retire at 20, btw.

My son has been in for about 10 years. He would like to stay in, but cross train into another field, but they won't let him switch. So, he has decided his best option is to get out at the end of this enlistment and use his college money to finish a medical program (probably X-ray technician).

So, there are pros and cons to both sides. The retirement pay is nice. When I was out of work for 6 months, it paid the rent and utilities, and my year supply took care of the food. It is also nice to have the Tricare medical plan, as I do not think I could otherwise afford medical for my family.

The 5.8% pay increase for 2009 retirees was a nice thing to receive. Way better than the 0% increase working for the state of Indiana. At least our governor isn't making us take a pay cut (California) or 10 days of unpaid leave (North Carolina), during this economic crisis.

And we go across Indianapolis a few times a year to Fort Ben Harrison to fill up our freezer with meat. So there are some benefits. You'll have to weigh the good of the military with the good of not being in the military, just like the rest of us.

[hordak]

My son has been in for about 10 years. He would like to stay in, but cross train into another field, but they won't let him switch.

I feel his pain. We were ready to be "lifers" but my wife's supervisor has decided to put a critical care identifier on her AFSC. This will keep her from cross training and ensure she will deploy every time her bucket comes up.

[fish4kitty]

I wish I would have stayed in and finished what I started. Navy Seabees NMCB 1. 5 years desert storm vet. I would have retired in 07. Love my job. Good pay. Awesome family. I would not have had the chance to have my family had I stayed in. I had made up my mind that I would not raise my family while still in active duty. To much stress for all that would be involved. Only regret I have is that I didn't retire from the Navy. Choice that I made and live with everyday. It was definitely give and take. I made the right but difficult choice.

[themonkeymama]

My husband was in US Army Special Forces for 5 years [until a medical discharge after his chute collapsed - he had planned to go career] and I was in the US Marines for 6 years.

I have never regretted my military service [nor has he], it was excellent for both of us; but I also don't regret getting out. I can't imagine trying to raise a family while being in the military - it is really not conducive to raising children. Especially with your wife, if you have children or plan to have children, how will that affect them if their mom is deployed?

I think it probably depends on your goals - if you plan a family, then the military is a hard place to have one [not impossible of course, but really hard].

There are definitely times when I can see the benefit of a military pension [i'm old enough now that I'd be collecting my pension if I'd stayed in!], but I do feel it was much better for our family to get out.

Good luck with your decision!

Kelly